From Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts, PROSEA Foundation
by F. S. dela Cruz, Jr.
Taxon
Artocarpus odoratissimus Blanco
Protologue
Fl. Filip.: 671 (1837).
Family
MORACEAE
Chromosome Numbers
2n = unknown
Synonyms
Artocarpus tarap Becc. (1902), Artocarpus mutabilis Becc. (1902).
Vernacular Names
Marang
(En). Indonesia, Malaysia (Borneo): terap (Malay), pingan (Iban),
pi-ien (Bidayuh), keiran (Kelabit), Philippines: marang (Sulu), madang
(Lanao), loloi (Tagalog).
Origin and Geographic Distribution
Although
the marang was described from and is better known in the Philippines,
its distribution there is limited (Mindoro, Mindanao, Basilan and the
Sulu Archipelago) and it was probably introduced from Borneo. In the
Philippines the species occurs only cultivated, but in Borneo it is
also common in the wild state.
Uses
The large fruit is esteemed for
the sweet, juicy, aromatic perianths surrounding the seeds, which can
be eaten fresh or used as an ingredient in cakes. The fruit is said to
have a finer and more delicate flavour than the jackfruit. The seeds
are eaten roasted or boiled; boiled seeds (30 minutes in salty water)
have a delicious nutty flavour. Young fruits are also cooked in coconut
milk and eaten as a curried vegetable.
Production and International Trade
In
1987 the Philippines had 1700 ha under cultivation, with a total
production of about 7900 t, valued at about 15 million pesos (US$ 750
000). In Sarawak cultivated marang is one of the most highly esteemed
fruits and there is a ready local market for the small quantities
supplied.
Properties
The
edible portion (i.e. the fleshy perianth) is 24—33% of fresh fruit
weight; 100 g edible portion contains: water 65.7—84.2 g, protein
0.8—1.47 g, fat 0.2—0.3 g, carbohydrates 32.4 g, ash 0.5—0.8 g, fibre
0.6—0.77 g, calcium 17 mg, phosphorus 35 mg, iron 2.1 mg and vitamin C
30 mg. Energy value is 265—510 kJ per 100 g.
In a series of fruit
samples taken from wild and cultivated trees, fresh weight per seed
ranged from less than 0.5 g to more than 1 g; the water content of the
seed was 38—44%. Mean number of seeds per fruit varied from 50—147. On
a dry weight basis, the seed contains protein 11—15%, fat about 20% and
carbohydrates 54—72%.
Description
Evergreen
tree, up to 25 m tall, 40 cm diameter, sometimes with low buttresses.
Twigs 4—10 mm thick with long, yellow to red, spreading hairs and
stipule-scar rings. Stipules ovate, 1—8 cm long, yellow to red hairy.
Leaves broadly elliptic to obovate, 16—50 cm x 11—28 cm, cuneate at
base to slightly decurrent, margin entire or shallowly crenate, apex
blunt or shortly acuminate, upper half often 3-lobed; both surfaces
roughly hairy, lateral veins 13—15 pairs; petiole 2—3 cm long; juvenile
leaves pinnatifid. Inflorescences in leaf axils, solitary; male heads
ellipsoid to clavate, 4—11 cm x 2—6 cm; female heads with pubescent
peltate bracts mostly shed and simple styles exserted to 1.5 mm. Fruit
(syncarp) subglobose, up to 16 cm x 13 cm, green-yellow, densely
covered with stiff, hairy processes of about 1 cm length; wall ca. 8 mm
thick; flesh (fruiting perianths) white, juicy, fragrant; peduncle 5—14
cm long. Pericarps (including the seeds) ellipsoid, about 12 mm x 8 mm;
germination hypogeal.
Growth and Development
Seeds
germinate in about 4 weeks. Trees become reproductive at an age of 4—6
years. In Sarawak cultivated plants and wild populations were compared;
cultivated plants have more lateral veins in the leaves, shorter buds
and much larger inflorescences, with twice as many flowers and larger
fruits which are 3—6 times as heavy (up to 2.5 kg) as the wild ones.
The flower heads are borne on emerging shoots.
In the Philippines
the fruiting season is May—July in Luzon and August—December in
Mindanao. The few references to flowering and fruiting in Sarawak all
indicate that the fruit ripens between October and January. From
studies of fruit growth on forest trees in Sarawak it appears that
anthesis occurs about 3 weeks after emergence of the inflorescence,
when it has a volume of 30 cm3. Stigmas remain receptive for 1—2 weeks
after emergence; by then the volume has increased to 100 cm3 (wild
fruit). In northern Queensland, Australia, the fruit is harvested over
a 2-month period with a peak in February, following flowering in
October—November.
The trees can become very large with a spreading
canopy. The fruits are borne at the end of long flexible branches and
ripe fruits are heavy, fragile and difficult to reach for harvest.
Ecology
In Sarawak Artocarpus odoratissimus
is common in secondary forests up to 1000 m altitude on sandy clay
soils. In the Philippines it grows best in regions with abundant and
equally distributed rainfall on rich loamy, well-drained soils. It is
found in partially shaded locations from sea-level to 800 m elevation.
Agronomy
Marang
is propagated from seed. Seeds are extracted from ripe fruit,
thoroughly cleaned with water and sown immediately in nurseries on
sandy loam soil, since they do not retain their viability very long.
Seedlings are transplanted to containers when the first leaves have
matured. Since the seeds germinate well, they may also be sown directly
into containers. Seedlings grow very fast and are ready for planting
when they are about one year old. Plants are set 12—14 m apart in the
field and it is best to plant at the onset of the rainy season.
Experiments
to propagate marang by marcotting failed to give good results; branches
callused in 33—34 days but failed to root. Marang can be budded or
grafted on gumihan (Artocarpus elasticus) and inarched with breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg).
Regular
weeding and irrigation during the first 2 or 3 dry seasons ensures good
growth. Plants are fertilized with 100—200 g ammonium sulphate after
planting and towards the end of the rainy season. Bearing trees are
given 0.5—1 kg complete fertilizer per tree twice a year. Pruning is
limited to the removal of dead branches.
No serious pests and diseases have been observed, apart from maggots of the oriental fruit fly (Dacus umbrosus)
found in the fruits. Modern bait sprays have greatly reduced fruit fly
damage on other crops and may also be effective on marang.
Mature
fruits are usually harvested by hand with the help of a curved knife
attached to the end of a long bamboo pole. Getting at the heavy fruit
at the end of slender twigs is hazardous. The delicate fruit really
should be caught to break the fall, but most fruit drops on the ground.
The fruit is graded and taken to market in bamboo baskets or sacks as
soon as possible; the shelf life of the ripe fruit is very short.
Mean
yield in the Philippines amounted to 4.6 t/ha in 1987, not very
different from other years. In comparison the records of a wild tree in
the forest in Sarawak are dismal: the tree failed to flower in 5 out of
8 years and produced only 2 crops during this period.
Genetic Resources and Breeding
Wide
variation in plant and fruit characters has been observed. The fruit of
the cultivated marang is much larger than the wild fruit, whereas the
leaves and twigs are similar. The cultivated marang might be a
tetraploid derivative of a diploid wild ancestor. A primary goal in
breeding programmes is to develop shorter, more branched trees which
are easier to harvest.
Prospects
As
one of the most highly praised fruits in the genus, it is puzzling why
marang is not widely grown. Low yield and short shelf life offer only a
partial explanation, since these features would not deter most home
gardeners. The fruit is mainly eaten fresh; its potential for
processing is being studied in the Philippines. Obviously the species
should be much better understood before its prospects can be properly
assessed.
Literature
Brown,
W.H., 1954. Useful plants of the Philippines. Republic of the
Philippines Department of Agricultural and Natural Resources Technical
Bulletin 10. Vol. 1. Bureau of Printing, Manila. pp. 467—469.
Coronel,
R.E., 1986. Promising fruits of the Philippines. 2nd ed. College of
Agriculture, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, College, Laguna.
pp. 500—502.
Galang, F.G., 1955. Fruit and nut growing in the Philippines. AIA Printing Press, Malabon, Rizal. pp. 300—302.
Jarrett, F.M., 1959. Studies in Artocarpus and allied genera. III. A revision of Artocarpus subgenus Artocarpus. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Harvard University 40: 147—149.
Primack, R.B., 1985. Comparative studies of fruits in wild and cultivated trees of chempedak (Artocarpus integer) and terap (Artocarpus odoratissimus)
in Sarawak, East Malaysia with additional information on the
reproductive biology of the Moraceae in South-East Asia. Malayan Nature
Journal 39: 1—39.
Wester, P.J., 1921. The food plants of the Philippines. Philippine Agricultural Review 14(3): 251.
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